Turkey’s founder, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, was commemorated yesterday during a ceremony held for the first time by the General Staff. The ceremony was only one of a chain of planned events to be held for successful commanders of the War of Independence upon instructions from the General Staff. The panel, "Atatürk, as a Soldier and Statesman, on His 128th Anniversary," was attended by Chief of Staff Gen. İlker Başbuğ and was moderated by historian İlber Ortaylı.British historian Andrew Mango said Atatürk has been a source of inspiration for those who want to advance ...

Soil taken from Mustafa Kemal Atatürk’s home in Thessaloniki, where the founder of the Turkish Republic was born, was taken first to Istanbul, then to Ankara as part of the 21st Peace Run to Commemorate Atatürk. Athletes from the Istanbul Masters’ Athletics Club received the soil from authorities at Turkey’s Greek consulate on the Ipsala border and brought it to the Republic Monument in Istanbul’s Taksim Square. After a ceremony there, runners left for Ankara to deliver the soil to the capital, where it will be handed to President Abdullah Gül during ...